TABLE-Open and planned US cellulosic ethanol plants

Feb 19 Companies in the United States are racing to make
cellulosic ethanol, which is believed to release less planet-warming emissions
and to be less likely to raise food pries than conventional ethanol made from
corn.

A few companies have opened pilot plants to make cellulosic but no
commercial amounts of the fuel are being made. The industry risks failing the
U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard, which requires the blending of 100 million
gallons of cellulosic into the country's gasoline pool next year.

To make cellulosic the woody walls of plant cells must be broken down using
three main methods. Those include enzymes derived from fungi, such as jungle
rot or that live at the bottom of lakes, acid, such as sulfuric acid, or heat
and pressure, like an oil refinery uses to break down crude oil.

To see an interview about Big Oil and cellulosic please click
[ID:nN19501357],